Heartwarming Snow
by KurokoKawaii17
Summary: It was snowing. It was a beautiful sight. They rarely ever got snow out on the Grandline since they haven't been near a winter island in awhile. Sanji was admiring the blanket of snow covering the Sunny until he'd realized that he couldn't find the green amongst all of the white. Just fluff


**Heartwarming Snow**

 ***Just something small and cute. Rated for boyxboy fluff and just to be safe. A huge thanks goes to Hadenxcharm for beta-reading this and helping me make this story better.**  
 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own One Piece or any of its wonderful characters**  
 **Please enjoy***

The sharp distinct sound of quick knife work almost drowned out the soft bubbling of the soup. With proficiency Sanji had effortlessly chopped vegetables and plopped them into a large pot that held a skillfully trimmed and seasoned elephant tuna. Just when he'd popped the pot into the oven and switched off the heat from the perfected soup, shrill shrieks of excitement rang throughout the ship.

"Ah! _Look_! It's so _pretty_!"

"It's snowing!"

"We must be close to a winter island!"

Curious, Sanji wiped his hands on a dishcloth, glanced to make sure the food would be okay, and quietly slid out of the warmth of the kitchen. He was met with a pleasant sight that was ever so slightly spoilt by the bitter cold that prickled his skin.

It was snowing, steadily but softly fluttering down and blanketing the surface of the Sunny. They rarely ever got snow. It'd been awhile since the last time they'd seen such a sight.

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were gawking enthusiastically as they flailed around and tried to make their own snowmen. Brook was laughing his trademark laugh as he played a mystical melody that somehow managed to make the snow even more beautiful. Franky stood with Robin; they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation as they smiled contently together. Sanji found himself mirroring their expressions until he saw a flash of vibrant red that contrasted with the blank white coating the ship.

"It doesn't seem like it's a snowstorm. Actually, there's no storm clouds or any other indications of a potential storm around us at all. It's simply snowing," Nami thought aloud as she scanned the gray sky.

Sanji glanced her way, but he was feeling rather placid. He didn't have the urge to fawn over her. Instead, he noticed something else.

He meandered throughout the ship, looking for some sort of green through the white. When he roamed back to the deck, he scanned once more. He hadn't found him. Sanji sighed, and when a puff of mist left his chapped lips, it was as if he were smoking. He was just about to turn to the kitchen to escape the cold until he glanced over to Nami. She was gesticulating at him to grab his attention. Once she saw that he'd noticed, she smiled at him and pointed upward. His gaze followed her finger. He squinted to avoid getting snowflakes in his eye. She was pointing to the crow's nest where Zoro kept his training equipment. It took a moment for Sanji to realize why she was pointing at it, and when he did, his cheeks were rosy from embarrassment rather than the cold. Instead of denying that he was looking for him, Sanji sent a small smile and waved to her in thanks as he quickly climbed up the latter to the crow's nest.

When he reached the hatch, he soundlessly opened it and peeked into the dark room. There he saw him for whom he was wistfully searching.

Sanji silently entered the dark room, and since Zoro hadn't noticed him yet, he took a moment to observe him. Zoro was sitting on the curved bench, both legs up on the seat and crossed at the ankles. One hand rested in his lap while the other was holding up his chin as his elbow rested on the backrest of the bench. Sanji couldn't directly see his expression, but since the clouds were dark enough, he could see his reflection. Zoro's mien was one of a man that was lost in nostalgic contemplations as he stared listlessly out the window. For a mere moment, Sanji thought that he should leave the swordsman to his lonesome to let him dwell in his musings in peace, but before he put some actual thought into it, his body moved with the urge to just be with him. Sanji gently squeezed Zoro's shoulder, letting him know that he was there. Zoro's eyes lingered on the undisturbed snow on the trees before he regarded Sanji with mild curiosity and surprise. He obviously wasn't expecting anyone to visit him.

"What're you doing, moss-ball?" Sanji asked fondly as he smoothly grabbed his ankles, lifted them, slipped under them, and placed them in his lap. Zoro blinked at him until his stiff expression melted into a warm grin. Sanji felt his heart flutter in his chest.

"I was just thinking." Zoro answered as he shuffled and rested his head against his forearm. He fixed Sanji with his blood red eyes that usually made Sanji squirm, but now they just made his chest fill with warmth. He looked thoughtful, but content, and that made Sanji smile.

"You? Thinking? Did it hurt?" Sanji teased lightheartedly. Zoro frowned at him in response, and Sanji chuckled.

He didn't miss the small smile that played on Zoro's face when he turned to gaze out the window once again. Sanji calmed down and lit himself a cigarette. A comfortable silence rested over them, but Sanji's nagging curiosity forced him to interrupt the quiet. "So, what were you thinking about, Zoro?"

Zoro glanced over at him before he sighed. His face was relaxed, his scowl nowhere in sight. He seemed to be serene, but reflective; he didn't seem to be looking at the snow. It was as if he were looking at something that only he could see.

Sanji waited patiently as the silence prolonged. Usually the silence made him antsy, but he'd realized long ago that if he was with Zoro, the silence didn't bother him at all.

"I…" the green-haired man began, his tone calm and his countenance melancholy, "… was thinking about the times before the crew."

Sanji blinked at him in surprise. He'd almost dropped his cigarette, but he quickly recovered. "When you were a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah… The snow always reminds me of those times… just because of how – I don't know – how cold and dreary the snow can be, I suppose…"

Sanji remained quiet, waiting for him to continue. He seemed to be reliving a short memory before he took a deep breath through his nose and turned his head to Sanji once again.

"Back then," he mumbled, reminiscing. A small sad smile touched his lips. "I was living from bounty to bounty. I was always alone. It was very rare for me to work a job with someone, and if I did, I left as soon as I got my share of the bounty. Living as a bounty hunter, without any company was actually very… sad… I remember when it used to snow just like how it is now; I would always trek through it, despite how cold it was. I couldn't linger anywhere since I never really had the money to say at an inn for more than a night or two - if I was lucky, that is. It was always pure white and untouched. The only thing that disturbed the snow was me, but my footsteps would disappear as soon as they'd appeared. Felt almost like I didn't exist – or that I could drop right out of existence without being missed at least. Being so alone does that to people, I guess."

As he spoke, Sanji silently reached over and wrapped his fingers around Zoro's. Zoro squeezed his fingers affectionately before he continued. He stared lovingly at their hands for a moment until he redirected his crimson gaze towards the untouched snow on the orange trees.

"I would wander around aimlessly. It almost seemed as though I didn't have a goal - even though we both know that that's not true at all. It's just that was just me, myself, and I. I had no one to rely on, no one to talk to, no one to argue with, or just be with, like how we are. I hadn't realized how lonesome I was. I hadn't realized how much I was like a ghost. I hadn't realized how much I… longed for someone like you…" Zoro began sounding distant, finishing with a murmur.

Sanji's breath caught in his throat as his grip on Zoro tightened. His oceanic eyes widened, as if he were asking if Zoro meant was he'd said. His heart fluttered up and stomach flopped. He felt a small jolt of electricity travel throughout his body from the crown of his head to the tip of his toes. Zoro tilted his head towards him again, but this time he had an amorous glint in his crimson eyes, and his mouth was turned up in a genuine smile.

"You see, Sanji," Zoro began again, holding his countenance and sounding content. "This crew completely changed my life, as I'm sure it did for everyone here. I didn't know I wanted a place to belong until I found one, until I found this crew. I was thinking about all of that stuff before your curly self interrupted me."

Sanji just gawked at him. Zoro chuckled at his reaction to his thoughts. Before long, Sanji's expression relaxed into a grin. He ran his thumb over Zoro's knuckles as a comfortable, warm silence covered them. They beamed at each other for another moment before they turned to watch the snowfall. They simply sat and enjoyed each other's presence.

Sanji had begun to recede into thoughts of his own, but instead of thinking about his past, he thought of Zoro.

He reminisced about the times when they'd been at each other's throats, when things had changed, what he thought and felt about the green bastard.

After he'd witnessed Zoro's ambition when he'd faced Mihawke two years ago, Sanji had always secretly admired him and wanted to be close to him, though due to Zoro's irritability and Sanji's no-nonsense attitude, they'd taken longer to start a relationship that didn't just consist of fighting and arguing. Nevertheless, as time had gone on and they'd challenged each other, they warmed up to one another. Zoro helped him improve in his fighting as they sparred; Zoro had helped his cooking improve by never complimenting him, intensifying Sanji's desire to prove to him that he was a damn good chef. Then, after the horrific events on Thriller Bark, Sanji had finally realized his feelings for Zoro and practically yelled them at the moss-ball when he'd been scolding him about the reckless shit he'd done.  
Sanji had no compunctions about having feelings for a man like Zoro - since Sanji had never been completely straight anyway. Besides, Zoro was a good man at heart. He may be rough around the edges, but once you got past that, he was actually a really sweet guy. Such a gritty, kind, quiet, gentle, strong, passionate, stubborn, introspective, simple guy like him was… absolutely perfect in Sanji's eyes.

"Sanji," Zoro called mellifluously. Sanji felt a faint shiver trail up his spine as he turned to him. Zoro watched him with his mildly curious red eyes. "What're you thinking about?"

Sanji's eyes widened a bit before they wrinkled in happiness and he chuckled, puffing the last of his cigarette before he put it out on the floor and pocketed the spent butt.

"I was just thinking about a certain moss-ball," he answered smoothly, squeezing his hand.

Zoro was stunned by Sanji's blunt response, as his deep red eye grew wide. Sanji snickered at him while he offered him a lopsided boyish smile.

"Sanji!" a loud distant voice hollered.

Sanji blinked at Zoro's unchanging expression before he turned to look out the window to the deck. Luffy was bellowing his name, which usually meant that he wanted food. Sanji heaved a sigh, lifted Zoro's feet, slid from under them, placed them back on the bench, and stood to leave. Zoro blinked rapidly, as if he were snapped out of a trance once Sanji had moved, and he quickly got up. Sanji was already half way to the exit when he took several steps forward, but he stopped when he saw Sanji halt. Sanji spun around and beamed at him. Zoro pursed his lips, briskly walked toward him, and enveloped him in a tender hug that made Sanji's heart melt.

They held each other for a minute or two before Zoro pulled away and gave Sanji a chaste kiss.

"I love you," Zoro murmured as they parted, looking into Sanji's cobalt blue eye with affection. Sanji's eyes smiled before his lips did. He felt his face start to hurt with how much he'd smiled in the time they spent together, but he didn't mind. Instead he just chuckled, and pecked Zoro lips.

"I love you too, moss-ball," he whispered against his lips. They grinned at each other and tightened their grip on one another for a brief moment before Zoro let go.

Sanji reluctantly took his leave and yelled at Luffy to calm down. He cast Zoro one more glance before he closed the hatch to the crow's nest.

Zoro huffed contently as he went back to his seat and took his original position. He found himself smiling softly, thinking that the snow was a beautifully _cold_ thing that could hold both dreary and heartwarming memories.


End file.
